The Hills

The one show that I could not get enough of when I was in high school was The Hills. It was the “reality” of this show that made it seem like it was possible for any girl to follow in the footsteps of Lauren Conrad. What I failed to realize as an easily influenced teenage girl was the fact that Lauren was on reality TV and she was wealthy. The Hills made it seem like everyone in Southern California was living the life of luxury. Lauren drove a BMW, had a dream internship at Teen Vogue, went to the beach on a daily basis and had a gorgeous two bedroom apartment with her best friend. When in reality, the apartment cost over $2000 a month; a price that few, if any, college freshman could afford.

Yes, there were some real aspects to the show such as fights with your best friend, getting over your first love, and the feat of juggling school and an internship. The show made Lauren relatable with these very real aspects of a college student’s life. It made a young teenage girl believe that when she went to college, she could be just like Lauren.

One thing that needs to be understood is that a very small percentage of young college girls can afford and do what Lauren Conrad was able to do. Girls need to realize they won’t intern at Teen Vogue and they probably won’t drive a BMW. On a positive side, the show makes you want to strive for your dreams and that is something that everyone is able to do.

After religiously following this show through all six of its seasons, I would say it is very easy to be swayed into thinking that the show is real life and that it is attainable. It’s especially easy when you see a young girl around your age doing it with ease. The privileged life is hard to come by and just because one teenage girl is shown living the life on TV does not mean that every girl is living this same life; actually, quite the opposite.